Published and promoted by Martin Francis on behalf of Brent Green Party and its local council candidates c/o 23 Saltcroft Close, Wembley, HA9 9JJ

22 Dec 2013

Controversy over Council, Police, UKBA action in Cricklewood: the bad side of localism?

Sunday, 22 December 2013

Controversy over Council, Police, UKBA action in Cricklewood

Combined action by the UK Border Agency, the police and Brent Council on migrant workers
has created controversy in Cricklewood which has spilled over intolively debate on the
Streetlife forum of the Kilburn Times LINK

The local streets have long been a traditional picking up point for casual building labour in the
early morning. It used to be mainly Irish workers but is now generally more recent migrants.

Mapesbury Safer Neighbourhood Team have cuiculated this notice via email, letters and the
NW2 Residents' Association:

Some see this crackdown as partly a result of media hostility towards Eastern Europeans and point
out that it was not raised as an issue in the past. It appears to reinforce prejudice and increase
division when Brent Council was critical of the way UKBA raids on stations and the 'racist van'
campaign did just that. Nevertheless the Council are cooperating with UKBA in this case seeing it
merely in terms of 'anti-social behaviour'.

A further point made is that while migrants are being attacked for living off benefits they are also
attacked when trying to get work.

Asking the public to note down vehicle registration numbers and pass them on to the police is
likely to cause considerable controversy.